The Tie that Binds: Church Community Counters Isolation
In his article “Want People to Go to Church? Invite Them. Want Them to Stay? Invite Them Into Your Life,” Stiven Peter explores Tocqueville’s observations on how the Church counterbalanced American individualism and restlessness. Tocqueville noted that the Church calmed this restless spirit. He writes, “In the United States, when the seventh day of each week arrives, commercial and industrial life seems suspended; all noise ceases. A profound rest follows.” Congregants heard reminders about “the necessity to control his desires, about the fine enjoyments attached to virtue alone, and about the true happiness that accompanies it.”
“The American…enters suddenly into an ideal world where everything is great, pure, eternal.”
— Alexis de Tocqueville
Church relationships lifted people’s eyes to notice others. These connections transformed their perspective and prompted them to live for heavenly treasures. The Church became the bond uniting the American people. Tocqueville observed that “the American escapes in a way from himself, and tearing himself away for a moment from the petty passions that agitate his life and from the transitory interests that fill it, he enters suddenly into an ideal world where everything is great, pure, eternal.”
Disclaimer: Information in my “slip-box” doesn’t necessarily reflect my agreement with the source or all its content. Recording diverse perspectives helps strengthen one’s position beyond the echo chamber of like-minded thinkers. By documenting alternative viewpoints, we engage in the intellectual wrestling match that ultimately deepens our understanding.
I aspire to post one note from my “slip-box” every weekday. If you want to learn more about how to work with knowledge, click this link: What is knowledge management?
Pastor Dan Patrick, raised in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., holds both a Bible degree and a Master’s of Divinity. He has ministered across five states from coast to coast, serving in various capacities, including pastoral leadership. Dan’s primary mission is to help people love God’s Word and find their purpose in God’s work.
